Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to V Fainstein.
Fatal disseminated candidiasis developed in a patient with hairy-cell leukemia. Four different Candida species were isolated from multiple sites during hospitalization and from cultures made post mortem.
Two immune-compromised patients had pulmonary and intestinal infection due to Strongyloides stercoralis. Diagnosis was facilitated in both cases when the parasites were found in the sputum. Treatment with thiabendazole appeared to eradicate the infection, but repeated follow-up examinations are needed because of the likelihood of relapse.
Adherence of bacteria to pharyngeal cells from patients with naturally acquired acute respiratory illness and from volunteers experimentally infected with influenza virus vaccine was studied. Increased adherence of Staphylococcus aureus was found in both groups. In addition, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae type I adhered in increased numbers to cells from volunteers experimentally infected with influenza virus. Alterations in mucosal cells leading to increased bacterial adherence may play a role in the pathogenesis of suprainfection by these organisms in patients with viral respiratory diseases.
Pasteurella multocida infections of joints and bones generally occur in individuals who have contact with cats or dogs. Osteomyelitis usually follows penetrating trauma such as an animal bite. Septic arthritis tends to occur in patients who have preexisting inflammatory joint disease, especially if a systemic condition which is known to predispose to infection is present. The principles of therapy for septic arthritis or osteomyelitis are no different from those which have been established for other infecting organisms. Although P multocida is susceptible in vitro to penicillin, treatment of septic arthritis with this drug is still associated with a slow therapeutic response.
Thirty-five patients with cellulitis were treated with ceforanide, 1 g every 12 h, intramuscularly. A good clinical response was observed in 33 cases. Drug failure in the remaining two patients was thought to be due to the lack of surgical debridement. Drug concentrations well in excess of inhibitory levels for Streptococcus pyogenes were generally present throughout the treatment period; although this was not true of ceforanide concentrations relative to inhibitory levels for Staphylococcus aureus, the clinical response in patients with staphylococcal infection still appeared to be entirely satisfactory. Killing of S. pyogenes by 5, 50, and 500X the minimum inhibitory concentration of ceforanide proceeded at the same rate in vitro as did killing by 5, 50, and 500X the minimum inhibitory concentration of penicillin.
Edwardsiella tarda is an uncommon enteric bacterium which has been found generally in animal hosts and occasionally in human feces. Three cases of extraintestinal infection caused by E. tarda which are described herein include a typhoid-like illness, peritonitis with sepsis, and cellulitis from a wound acquired while fishing. The microbiology of E. tarda and the previous reports of infection due to this organism are reviewed.
Pleural effusions due to Cryptococcus neoformans occurred in 2 patients, 1 with localized pulmonary infection and 1 with disseminated cryptococcosis. Cryptococcal antigen was present in the pleural fluid from both patients and it was present also in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of the patient with disseminated infection. The cryptococcal antigen test is a sensitive and specific indicator of cryptococcoal infection, and it was not positive in pleural fluid samples from a variety of other conditions including bacterial and mycobacterial infections and primary or metastatic malignancies. Twenty-eight additional cases of cryptococcal pleural effusions have been reported in the English literature, equally divided between patients with infection localized to the thorax and those with disseminated disease. Cryptococcal infection must be considered in the differential diagnosis of patiients with pleural effusion, especially patients with serious underlying diseases treated with corticosteroids. The cryptococcal antigen test appears to be a useful adjunct in diagnosis, and serial determinations may be helpful in assessing response to treatment.
Seven patients with hematologic malignancies who were treated with miconazole for either suspected or proven fungal infections developed eight episodes of major adverse cardiorespiratory and anaphylactic reactions. All the episodes occurred after the first dose was administered, and the seven patients recovered without sequelae after the drug was withdrawn. None of them had a history of cardiac disease, and with the possible exception of one case of cardiac arrest, where the patient received doxorubicin, no predisposing factors could be found. The rate and length of administration, as well as the dose, should be carefully monitored to avoid these complications.
A study was undertaken to determine whether use of a condom catheter collection system (CCCS) is associated with urinary tract infection (UTI). No UTI developed in 79 episodes of CCCS use in patients who were cooperative or because of paralysis were unable to manipulate the collecting system (mean time per patient, 21.2 days; total number of patient days, 1,677). By contrast, in 15 patients who were identified prospectively as being uncooperative and who repeatedly manipulated the CCS, UTI developed in eight (53.3%) within a mean of 9.6 days. Urethral catheterization in cooperative patients during CCCS use was followed by development of UTI. Repeated interference with the proper use of CCCS and urethral catheterization during CCCS use are associated with an increased risk of UTI.
Fever patterns were studied prospectively in 200 consecutive patients referred for infectious disease consultation and retrospectively in 204 patients with selected infectious or noninfectious diseases. Most patients had remittent or intermittent fever, which, when due to infection, usually followed diurnal variation. Hectic fever occurred less commonly but was observed in patients with all categories of infectious or noninfectious diseases. Although hectic fevers were seen more frequently in patients who had documented bacteremia, there were many nonbacteremic subjects who had this pattern and others without this pattern who had bacteremia. Sustained fever nearly always occurred in patients with Gram-negative pneumonia or CNS damage, although some patients with these diseases had other patterns as well. Our data suggest that, with the possible exception of sustained fever in Gram-negative pneumonia or CNS damage, the fever pattern is not likely to be helpful diagnostically.
Selective adherence to host mucosal surfaces is probably a requirement for colonization and infection by bacteria. Since pharyngeal colonization may be an important determinant in the pathogenesis of pneumonia, we studied the adherence of 10 different bacteria to pharyngeal cells obtained from nonsmokers, smokers, and chronic bronchitics. Various patterns of adherence among the different groups of subjects were found. Young healthy smokers had increased adherence of Streptococcus pneumoniae type I and, to a lesser extent, S. pneumoniae type III and Staphylococcus aureus when compared with nonsmokers. Middle-aged smokers with a long history of chronic bronchitis had significantly increased adherence only of untypable Haemophilus influenzae when compared with age-matched nonsmokers. The acquisition of pneumococcal pneumonia by smokers and the role of nontypable Haemophilus species in chronic bronchitis may be determined, in part, by bacterial adherence to pharyngeal cells.
Acute bilateral suppurative parotitis developed in two patients with documented cirrhosis of the liver while they were in the hospital. Gram's stain and culture of purulent material obtained from the orifice of Stensen's duct disclosed Haemophilus influenzae as the sole isolate. Both patients were treated successfully with local care and antibiotics. To our knowledge, with one possible exception, infection of the parotid gland due to this organism has not been described previously.
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Fungi of the genus Hansenula have rarely been reported as pathogenic in humans. A case of catheter-related Hansenula anomala fungemia in a patient with acute leukemia in remission is presented, and the clinical features of 11 additional patients infected with Hansenula species are reviewed. The spectrum of disease with these organisms ranges from asymptomatic fungemia to life-threatening disseminated infection. Predisposing factors appear to be immunosuppression, use of intravenous devices, and previous treatment with antibacterial drugs. Clinical experience and limited in vitro susceptibility data show that amphotericin B remains the drug of choice in the treatment of hansenula infections.
This study involved cases of unexplained fever for which an infectious disease consultation was requested and for which an untoward drug reaction was thought responsible. Twelve cases that met strict criteria for drug-induced fever are presented. Antimicrobial agents were responsible for eight cases; other causes included antihypertensive and anticonvulsant drugs and allopurinol. The duration of drug administration before fever appeared was highly variable. Most patients had no history of previous drug reaction. Seven patients had fever with on other symptoms or signs that would suggest a diagnosis of drug-induced fever. Consultations are generally not requested for adverse drug reactions with more typical findings, such as skin rashes and eosinophilia; therefore, the true incidence of drug-induced fever is probably greater than indicated by the 12 definite cases seen in this general hospital during a six-year period.
In disseminated candidiasis, various organs frequently become involved, usually as a consequence of hematogenous spread of the organism. However, involvement of the joints is rare even with dissemination. Nineteen cases of joint involvement have previously been reported in adults and 21 cases in children. The most commonly involved joint has been the knee; in such cases, amphotericin B has been effective in controlling the infection. Five patients with cancer developed septic arthritis due to Candida species at the M. C. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute in the past five years. Four of these patients were seen in 1980. Candida albicans was isolated from three patients and Candida tropicalis from two. All five patients had predisposing conditions - e.g., intravenous and/or urinary catheterization, neutropenia, and previous treatment with steroids and antibiotics. The knee was the affected joint in all five. Different modalities of treatment were used, including intravenous miconazole, oral ketoconazole, and systemic and local amphotericin B; adequate levels of these drugs were found in the joint fluid when measured. Infection was cured in two patients. The condition of the third patient improved. The fourth patient died of disseminated disease despite therapy, and the fifth died of malignancy without the benefit of antifungal therapy. For treatment of such infections, the use of an antifungal agent is recommended in addition to frequent evacuation of the joint fluid. Some new compounds may prove useful alternatives to amphotericin B. Arthritis can be resolved even in the presence of unresolved disseminated disease.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa has emerged as an important pathogen during the past two decades. It causes between 10% and 20% of infections in most hospitals. Pseudomonas infection is especially prevalent among patients with burn wounds, cystic fibrosis, acute leukemia, organ transplants, and intravenous-drug addiction. P. aeruginosa is a common nosocomial contaminant, and epidemics have been traced to many items in the hospital environment. Patients who are hospitalized for extended periods are frequently colonized by this organism and are at increased risk of developing infection. The most serious infections include malignant external otitis, endophthalmitis, endocarditis, meningitis, pneumonia, and septicemia. The likelihood of recovery from pseudomonas infection is related to the severity of the patient's underlying disease process. The introduction of the antipseudomonal aminoglycosides and penicillins has improved substantially the prognosis of these infections. Ticarcillin and carbenicillin have been especially beneficial in neutropenic patients; however, prompt institution of therapy is mandatory for optimal benefit. Many new drugs with antipseudomonal activity, including penicillins, cephalosporins, and other beta-lactams, have been introduced in recent years and offer the potential for new approaches to therapy for these infections.
Cefoperazone was used for the treatment of 105 febrile episodes in 103 patients with cancer. A dose of 12 g/day was administered according to two different schedules, one for neutropenic patients (neutrophil count, less than 1,000/mm3), the other for nonneutropenic patients. The rate of response for 85 episodes of documented infection was 68%. The rates of response for patients with bacteremia and pneumonia were 72% and 41%, respectively; all patients with soft-tissue and urinary-tract infections responded. Fifty-five percent of patients infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the most common gram-negative organism causing infection, responded to therapy. Among patients infected with Staphylococcus aureus, the most common gram-positive organism causing infection, 82% responded. As expected, the rate of response was higher for patients with adequate neutrophil counts. In neutropenic patients the overall response was good, particularly when the neutropenia resolved. However, the occasional occurrence of resistant strains of bacteria precludes the use of cefoperazone alone as initial therapy for neutropenic patients. Toxic adverse reactions, including drug-induced fever, diarrhea, and rash, occurred rarely and were transient. This study indicates that cefoperazone has low toxicity and is effective for the treatment of infections in patients with cancer.